Mandy was raised in Woodinville, Washington, where she grew up playing in the five acres of pasture and woods surrounding her home, and developing a deep appreciation for the beauty of green trees and growing things.

Mandy’s interest in art and design in junior high and high school led her to earn a BFA in graphic design at Montana State University in 2000. Following graduation, she worked as an in-house graphic artist for a few years in Montana and then moved to Oregon, where she became a baker while searching for a new design job. In her free time she painted with acrylic on masonite, wooden boxes and other surfaces she found at antique stores. She became inspired by a collection of vintage magazines she found and began to incorporate paper into her paintings. Mandy showed her first collection of abstract art in a cafe in Corvallis, Oregon.

Following a move back to Woodinville in 2004, Mandy started a small business in graphic design and art, Lucky Girl Designs. She worked part-time jobs while doing freelance work and showing art at local businesses and cafes. 2008 brought a significant life change, which created a shift in her attention. She got a job as an after school art teacher on the east side of the Seattle area and made art with kids, continued to paint and worked on freelance design projects. During this time she met her life partner, married, and had a long-awaited baby boy. As mothering became her number one priority, and the time to work in her studio became limited, Mandy began to make up-cycled flower arrangements with the caps and lids she’d been collecting. Ever inspired to reuse and repurpose, she also made small scale collages using mint tins filled with paper, glitter and resin. These new forms of art brought her out to sell at local farmers markets and art festivals. The events created time and space for connections with people who appreciated and delighted in her work. Through these connections, Mandy began to fully realize the significance of sharing herself and her art with people out in the world.

Preceding her family’s move from Lynnwood to Leavenworth in 2021, Mandy retired from graphic design work and focuses now on raising her two kids, painting, and making up-cycled art to sell at local markets. She spends her spare time riding bikes, snowboarding and gardening with her husband and kids, volunteering time to enrichment events at local schools, and nurturing her spiritual growth by practicing yoga, being outside, and connecting with others on their healing journeys. She also loves snuggling her two cats.